I Sugges this Recipes

Showing posts with label sauce. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

SANDRAS SOFT ITALIAN PRETZELS with an HERB OLIVE OIL DIPPING SAUCE

Youll love this and serve it often as a
pre-entree course...

Servings: (4 = 2 ea.)
Prep: 20 mins. |
Total rising: 1 hr.-20 mins. |
Bake 10 mins.

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active yeast
4 to 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
½ stick unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
2/3 cup baking soda
--(sounds like a lot, although you need it)
1/2 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning blend
1 egg beaten, with about 1 Tablespoon of water
Kosher salt

***Herb Olive Oil Dipping Sauce (See recipe below)

METHOD:

Prepare the Herb Olive Oil Dipping Sauce for flavors to meld, and set aside (do not refrigerate).

Pour the warm water, sugar and salt into the bowl stand mixer with a hook attachment, and sprinkle the yeast on top and allow to bloom for three to five minutes.

Add the cooled, melted butter, and then add the flour a half-cup at a time, while mixing on low until all ingredients are incorporated. Turn mixer to medium speed for a couple of minutes, just until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the bowl. Place the dough ball into a greased bowl (twice its size), rub it so it is oiled, and then turn over. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a non-drafty area of the kitchen for about 45 mins. to an hour, (I do so in my oven, no temp. with just the light bulb lit) just until the dough doubles in size.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare two baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Lightly sprinkle a surface with flour, and take the dough out of the bowl and punch down; sprinkle with italian seasoning, and knead a few times.. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Working with one section, form the dough into a rope about two feet long (it retracts, which is why you need to do this). Make each rope into a "U" shape by pinching at opposite ends and crossing your hands over to form a classic pretzel shape (wet fingers with water to seal bottom of ends to dough, and then press down slightly). Let formed pretzels rest for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring 10 cups of water and soda to a boil on the stove in a large pot. Place three pretzels in one at a time—bottom-side down first, for a total of 3 minutes; flipping halfway through so both sides get evenly boiled. (This is just to par-boil, not cook the pretzels.) Remove with a slotted spoon and place four on one prepared baking sheet. Boil the next batch and do the same on the next baking sheet.

Bake by first placing four pretzels on each cookie sheet (1-1/2” apart). Brush pretzels lightly with beaten egg, sprinkle with additional fresh basil, and kosher salt. Bake until golden brown and lightly crusted, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool 15 minutes, but eat within the same day by serving them with the ***herb and olive oil herb dipping sauce (see below) – Yummo!

***Herb and Olive Oil dipping Sauce
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
pinch of kosher salt to taste
1/4 cup olive oil

Combine all ingredients, (except oil) in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to emulsify. Re-whisk just prior to serving, and then drizzle dipping sauce on small flat saucers for sopping up with soft pretzels just before serving! - Enjoy!

Sunday, March 16, 2014

CROISSANT PEACH BREAD PUDDING and BUTTER RUM SAUCE

OK, this dessert is SERIOUSLY delicious and definitely not for the calorie shy. It makes a nice big bread pudding and yet it lasted only one evening (thank goodness we had company). It is a creamy, custard-y (but not heavy) bread pudding made with croissants and fresh peaches. As if that werent good enough, it is topped with the most delicious butter rum sauce you can imagine.

4 large (day old) croissants
3 large (ripe) peaches, peeled and diced
(1) 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
3 large whole eggs + 3 egg yolks (well beaten)
1¼ cups hot milk
¼ cup butter melted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk everything together except the croissants and peaches. Once mixed well, stir in the peaches. Tear the croissants into 1" pieces and add them to the mixture (stir ever so gently, just to moisten...be careful you dont turn the croissants into "mush").

Pour the mixture into a greased 8" x 11" baking dish. Bake in a preheated 325 oven for 50 to 60 minutes (my oven took 55 minutes). A knife inserted in the center of the bread pudding will come out clean when the bread pudding is done. Let bead pudding cool for about half hour before serving (or serve it chilled). Top with warm butter rum sauce. Refrigerate any leftovers.

BUTTER RUM SAUCE

½ cup brown sugar
½ cup butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon rum (I use 1 teaspoon rum extract)

While bread pudding is baking, Mix the brown sugar, butter and corn syrup in a heavy bottomed sauce pan and bring to a boil. Immediately turn heat down so that the sauce just simmers around the edges and simmer for 1 or 2 minutes (mine was done in 1 minute) or until it is just slightly thickened. Remove from heat and mix in the rum (or rum extract). Let the sauce cool a little before you use it.

NOTE: As the butter rum sauce cools to room temperature (which takes quite a while), the butter may separate from the sauce. If it does, just heat it up a little and whisk it again (it will go back together).

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

SANDRA’S HALIBUT TAQUITOS with a CILANTRO LIME DIPPING SAUCE

A very refreshing and easy method in which
to enjoy halibut by incorporating a
bit of southwestern flair...

How nice, my recipe and photo was featured on:
http://www.eatsalaska.com/page/13

Yields: (20 Taquitos)

Prep: 20 Mins.

Bake: 15 Mins.

INGREDIENTS

Filling:

4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

1/3 cup prepared green salsa

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground chili powder

1/2 teaspoon granulated onion

1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons sliced green onions

2 cups cooked halibut, roughly shredded

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

20 (6”) yellow corn tortillas

Olive oil for brushing tortillas (prevents them from cracking)

Garnish:

1/2 tablespoon freshly chopped cilantro

METHOD

Prepare the dipping sauce (below) several hours ahead of time to allow it to thicken, covered, in refrigerator.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil, and place a baking rack over top and lightly coat with cooking spray, then set aside.

Halibut filling prepared...

Add all the filling ingredients to a medium bowl, except halibut, and mix well to combine. Gently fold in halibut so as not to break apart.

Ready to roll up...

Brush the tortillas on both sides with olive oil, cover with a damp paper towel, and microwave on high for 20 seconds to soften (I do so in 2 batches of 10 tortillas). Work with a few warm tortillas at a time (while keeping others covered so they don’t dry out) by placing 2 tablespoons of halibut mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about ½” from each edge. Gently roll up the tortilla fairly tightly and place seam side down on prepared baking rack, then repeat. Lay all taquitos on baking sheet while ensuring they are not touching each other (again, I bake in 2 batches of 10 rolled tortillas at a time).

Ready for the oven...

Bake for 15 minutes, or until crisp and the ends start to turn a light golden brown. Garnish warm taquitos with freshly chopped cilantro, and serve with dipping sauce. ~ Enjoy!

Serve with:
Sandras Cilantro
Lime Dipping Sauce

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

This Strawberry Cheesecake Sauce Recipe is the Lesser of Two Evils

I only had enough time to do one of two things; write a post with no video, or edit and upload a video with no post. Guess which one I went with? Okay, so technically this is a post, but since its really about not doing a post, Im not sure it counts. Wow, I am tired! Where was I? Oh yeah, heres video recipe for the strawberry dessert sauce I paired with the cheesecake. Enjoy!

1 pint strawberries, rinsed, green tops removed (frozen will work)
1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar (depends on sweetness of berries)
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved into 2 tablespoons water

View the complete recipe

Monday, March 10, 2014

Little Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Eggplant Tomato Sauce – Please Come Out with Your Hands and Forks Up

Theres one thing I learned a long time ago; if you add a little cinnamon to a savory recipe, you are allowed to describe it as "exotic." Thats just the way it works. And really, who doesnt need a little more "exotic" in their lives?

As far as the easy part, well, that is a more relative term. There are no difficult techniques here, and after cutting up an eggplant and onion, most of your prep is done. The only step that one would describe as "not easy," would be the shaping of all those little meatballs.

Eating little lamb meatballs is fun, but it does take a while to portion them out. Happily, Ive included a top-secret restaurant trick for making lots of small meatballs very quickly, by using your hand as a sort of extruding device. Spoiler alert: its pretty vulgar (but highly efficient).

By the way, this lamb meatballs recipe video was done as part of a special feature my friends over at The Daily Meal are doing. Once a week they have something called "Recipe SWAT Team," where they tackle a new ingredient with one goal in mind: creating easy and delicious dishes.

This week it was "Recipe SWAT Team: Meatballs," and I was asked to throw on my bullet-proof vest, grow a mustache to look more like a cop, and bust through the door both barrels blazing. You can check out the entire feature here, and see some other great meatball recipes.

I hope you give this delicious lamb and eggplant recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
For the sauce:
1 eggplant, cubed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup minced onion
red pepper flakes to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup marinara sauce
1½ cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chiffonade
For meatballs:
1 large egg
1½ tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
1½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
4 cloves finely minced garlic
¼ cup finely minced onions
1 pound ground lamb

View the complete recipe

Saturday, February 22, 2014

CAROLINES CHICKEN ENCHILADAS with a GREEN SAUCE

I so thank Caroline for providing
this delightful recipe; its impeccably delicious...

Serves (6)
Prep: 20 min. |
Cook: 30 min.

Posted by Caroline in Yakutat, Alaska via Sandra

INGREDIENTS

***Green Sauce:
·1 (10.75 oz. can) cream of mushroom soup
·1 (4 oz. can) green chilies, drained
·1 large onion, diced
·1 teaspoon garlic, crushed
·1-1/2 (14.5 oz. cans) chicken broth
·½ teaspoon salt
·1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Puree all sauce ingredients in blender. Pour into saucepan and bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, stirring often.

***Filling:
·2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into cubes
·1/2 cup white onion, chopped and sautéed
·1/2 cups nacho cheese chips, crushed in blender till roughly minced.
·2 cups cottage cheese
·2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
·1 (4 oz. can) black olives, chopped
·2 tablespoons jarred jalapenos, diced
·1 - 2 (4 oz. cans) green chilies, drained

Saute onions; blend chips, and add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix well.

·12 (8") flour tortillas

Dip tortillas in sauce, add filling, and then roll (or fold into pillows) on wax paper; repeat with remaining tortillas, pour a bit of sauce in bottom of 9x13 baking dish that has been sprayed with oil; place all prepared tortillas in bottom of baking dish (seam side down) and cover top with sauce.

Bake at 300 just until hot, about 30 minutes.

Serve with sour cream, and your preference of toppings.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Pan Seared Venison Tenderloin with Bourbon Reduction Sauce

Served with Wild Rice and Pinon Nut Confit on Cheese Polenta

Guest Recipe and Photo by Neal Zeller

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 1 1/2 hours

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 lb of venison tenderloin

- 1 cup raw wild rice

- 2 tbs. of chopped dates or raisins

- 1 egg

- 1/2 cup raw pinon nuts

- 1 cup of yellow corn grits - polenta

- 4 cups chicken stock

- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

- 1/2 cup bourbon

- 1/2 cup venison, elk or beef stock

- 1 whole shallot

- 3 to 4 cloves of garlic

- 1/2 cup of dried mushrooms, Chantarelle or other favorite non-lethal fungi
- olive oil
- 1 tbs. of unsalted butter
- sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper

Directions:

1.Venison tenderloin is such a rare treat that I dont try to amend the flavor with a lot of marinades or rubs. Pat the tenderloin dry and lightly coat the tenderloin with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Thats it. Allow the tenderloin to come to room temperature.

2. Wash wild rice thoroughly. Bring rice and 2 cups of chicken stock to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer; cook about 40 - 45 minutes. Fully cooked wild rice still has some "tooth" to it. It wont be as soft as white or brown rice. Drain any excess stock from rice. Remove from heat and keep warm.

3. Lightly coat pinon nuts with olive oil and saute over medium heat until lightly golden brown. Pinons burn easily, so keep your eye on em. Remove from heat and keep warm, reserving a few of the best looking ones for garnish.

4. Peel and slice shallots thinly. Separate into rings. Next, peel and chop garlic finely. Coat the bottom of a heavy bottom pan with olive oil and saute the shallot until tender and slightly translucent. Add chopped garlic and continue to saute until garlic lightly browns. Add mushrooms and saute for about 3 minutes.

5. Carefully add the bourbon to saute pan. Its best to remove the pan from the heat, then pour in the bourbon. Return the pan to the heat. If you think you have the chops for it, tilt the pan slightly away from you to ignite the bourbon and burn off the alcohol. Yes, its tres dramitique, and really dangerous if you mess it up. Much of the drama will be lost on your guests if you set your kitchen on fire. Otherwise, the non-flambe method will evaporate the alcohol rather quickly anyway.

6. Add the venison, elk or beef stock. If using commercial beef stock, use one with low or no sodium. Reduce heat to medium low and continue to reduce sauce. For this prep, I strained the sauce for a classier plating. After about 20 minutes, strain the sauce, reserving the liquid. Everything else gets tossed on the compost heap or frozen for soup or something else later. Put strained sauce back into a clean pan and continue to reduce the sauce to your desired consistency. Keep warm and just before plating, whisk in the unsalted butter. Add salt and pepper to taste.

7. Bring the other 2 cups of chicken stock to a boil and add the grits. Return to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring regularly. When the grits have absorbed all the stock and are slightly thickened, add grated Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and keep warm.

8. Beat the egg thoroughly in a bowl. Add cooked wild rice, pinons, chopped dates or raisins and mix. Place confit mixture in a small, buttered pastry mold of your choice or an old tuna can with the label and both ends removed. Works like a charm. Bake in a 325 degree oven for about 15 minutes, or until confit has set. Remove from oven and keep warm.

9. Heat a little olive oil in a cast iron pan or heavy skillet to medium high. The oil should just start to smoke. Place the room temperature tenderloin in the hot pan and sear all sides, but turning it only once to sear each side. Reduce heat to medium and after about 6 - 8 minutes, start taking readings with a good meat thermometer. I cant say enough good things about meat thermometers. Were looking for an internal temperature of about 115 - 120 degrees. You want this exquisite roast cooked rare. When the temperature has been reached, immediately remove the roast to a cutting board. Tent loosely with foil and let it rest for about 10 minutes. The internal temperature will rise slightly to about 125 degrees.

10. On warm plates, place rice, pinon confit and some cheese polenta around the confit. Slice the rested tenderloin in thick slices and stand them against the confit. spoon the bourbon reduction sauce at the base of the roast and garnish with a few pinons.

Monday, February 3, 2014

Seared Filet Blue Cheese Sauce and Scalloped Tomatoes

Nothing hits the spot like a tender, medium rare steak when the mood hits you. This little filet mignon was seasoned simply with salt and pepper, seared on both sides in a skillet and cooked to a perfect medium rare in a 375 degree oven. I topped it with a blue cheese sauce made from crumbled blue cheese, sour cream, a touch of mayonnaise and salt and pepper.

The scalloped tomatoes was a dish I have made once before after seeing a version by Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa. One of my favorite side dishes, it is the perfect accompaniment with steak! The only thing that will make it better is when I can use sweet, plump summer tomatoes. Please take a look at my entry from March 11, 2010 for the recipe.

Friday, January 31, 2014

Ginger Pear Cranberry Sauce – Making Your Holidays More Difficult One Condiment at a Time

You would think the vast majority of the visitors to this blog would be fine with me posting a new holiday cranberry sauce every year, but apparently that’s not the case.

After posting the tease picture for this lovely ginger, pear, cranberry sauce, I received a bunch of comments and emails with the same basic message, “please don’t, you’re confusing us.”

Evidently, some people like our past cranberry sauce recipes so much, that they don’t know if they should stick with them, or try a new version. It’s causing quite the dilemma. Do you go with the one you know you love, and that garnered so many compliments, or do you try something new and risk it all?

Sorry, I really can’t help you decide, but at least let me make an already tough call, even tougher. This gingery, pear-studded cranberry sauce was simply amazing. I’ve been wanting to try pear in a cranberry sauce forever, and this was so fantastic that I’m a little upset I waited this long.

Anyway, I hope your Thanksgiving menu is shaping up nicely, and that tomorrow will bring a table full of fabulous food. Whether you use this cranberry sauce, or an older version, or heaven help us, one from another blog, I hope you and your family have a great holiday. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 2 cups:
12 oz fresh whole cranberries

1 large bosc pear, peeled, diced

2 oz candied ginger, minced

zest of 1 large orange

1 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 whole star anise

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 tsp garam masala (an Indian-style curry spice blend)

1/4 tsp salt

View the complete recipe